Pool will be closed 'for months'

Helensburgh’s storm-battered leisure centre could remain closed for “several months” as repair work continues after the facility was wrecked by Storm Eowyn in January.

- CHRIS MARZELLA

The £22million state-of-the-art facility saw its roof blown off in winds that reached up to 100mph and wreaked havoc across the country.

Video footage captured the moment ferocious storm winds tore a large section of the roof off the building on Friday, January 24.

The centre, which only opened to the public in September 2022, remains out of bounds to users.

In an update this week, Argyll and Bute Council said the centre repairs “remain a priority’, but indicated that due to the scale of the work required, the re-opening could yet be months away.

A spokesperson said: “We continue to work as quickly as possible to carry out repairs to Helensburgh Leisure Centre following the damage done by red weather event Storm Eowyn, and this remains a priority.

“We are working closely with our loss adjusters, insurers and disaster recovery specialists to protect and fix the damage caused.